Is it Normal for a New Car to Burn Oil ?

[Jim Becker]

Relative to the "one quart in 1000 miles"...that doesn't mean it WILL use that much. It merely means that if a particular vehicle does require more oil, the manufacturer is saying that it's within spec to use up to one quart in 1000 miles. They will not entertain any remediation if the usage doesn't exceed that.

[Andrew Joiner]

I've asked this once, I'm asking again: Did you check your oil immediately after your oil changes?

I'm curious because what we know is: the first quart of oil missing was 2000 miles immediately after the first oil change, and the second quart of oil missing was 1000 miles after the second oil change?

What I/we don't know is, after YOU topped off the oil and assured the pan was full, how many miles did it take to burn ANOTHER quart of oil?

If you've mentioned this and I missed it, my apologies-- if not, my point is simply this: did those who changed your oil actually fill it? As I mentioned in my prior post, more than once immediately after an oil change I've found the level to be low....

See my post #42.
I check dipsticks on all our cars after an oil change. I'm concerned about overfilling too as we had an issue with that 13 years ago in other cars. I didn't check oil at all in the new car until after the first oil change at the dealer.

[Jim Andrew]

Our Toyotas don't use oil, but I bought a new 7130 JD tractor in '08, and it finally quit using oil last year.

[Ben Helmich]

Relative to the "one quart in 1000 miles"...that doesn't mean it WILL use that much. It merely means that if a particular vehicle does require more oil, the manufacturer is saying that it's within spec to use up to one quart in 1000 miles. They will not entertain any remediation if the usage doesn't exceed that.

Jim, you said it better than I did. And let that motor set for 10 of 15 minutes before you check it. And don’t check it too too often. These things can drive you crazy.

[Tom Stenzel]

I will disagree with your suggestion to run thicker oil. That very likely would void the warranty if they needed an excuse to do that. Also the top ring is a compression ring. the oil control ring(s) are lower down on piston body..

+2 along with Andy. I might try it on an older engine knowing if it breaks it's on me. But not on a car under the manufacturer's warranty.

Engines with phased camshafts can trip the malfunction light if the wrong oil is used. When you come in and the code is read the mechanics will know right away what the problem is.

-Tom

[Eric Danstrom]

...it's within spec to use up to one quart in 1000 miles. They will not entertain any remediation if the usage doesn't exceed that.

Not all burn 1qt per 1000miles. But a small percentage do. And anyone that thinks there's a remedy hasn't read the T&Cs signed at the time of purchase. Lemon laws are very clear and specific....

[michael langman]

I was going from memory on the ring positions Chuck, and realize you are right . Oil ring on the bottom. Thanks for the correction.

I have always gone to a heavier oil after 75000 miles in my cars and never had a problem. It was common practice in the past. Though newer engines do not wear as quickly a older engines did.

But I would not want someone to have warranty issues over it. I doubt it would damage an engine though. These oil burning engines already do have a problem.

[Jim Becker]

Not all burn 1qt per 1000miles. But a small percentage do. And anyone that thinks there's a remedy hasn't read the T&Cs signed at the time of purchase. Lemon laws are very clear and specific....

We are in agreement...please see:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....22#post2924922

[Doug Dawson]

I have always gone to a heavier oil after 75000 miles in my cars and never had a problem. It was common practice in the past. Though newer engines do not wear as quickly a older engines did.

But I would not want someone to have warranty issues over it. I doubt it would damage an engine though. These oil burning engines already do have a problem.

Newer engines using 0w-20 oil (which only comes in a synthetic,) would stand a good chance of being damaged by oil starvation if you substituted in a heavier oil like 5w-30. The oil passages were designed for the thinner oil.

It's not like the old days when you could replace 5w-30 by 10w-40 or (gadzooks!) 20w-50 over an oil control issue.

BTW, if the "low oil" light appears on the dash, that means "stop driving now". Never mind the Mythbusters(?) episode where they drove 25 miles on an engine with no oil in it. That was in San Francisco, where you could open the hood of your VeeDub and find that you'd been driving for several years with no engine at all.

[michael langman]

Interesting information Doug. This new technology is changing, and happening faster and faster these days. You keep a new car for 10 to 15 years and in that time many things come and go.
And it kinda makes me feel like I am standing still, and alone, in place.

[Jeff Ramsey]

I drive a 2010 Subaru Outback that now has approx. 225,000 miles. It uses maybe 3/4 quart of oil every 5,000 miles. Last time I had it in for a torque converter replacement repair, I brought this subject up with the service manager at the Subaru dealership. I work with someone who owns a newer Outback, and he said it goes through 1 quart every 3,000 miles. The service manager told me Subaru had a recall for a piston ring problem for that range of years, and generally since Subaru changed over to recommending (requiring?) synthetic 0W/20 oil, their engines use more oil. I will keep repairing my 2010.

[Bill Jobe]

Take it to the dealer, get it documented. Do it now. You never know how many warranties Subaru has on it and when they all expire. Not everything will be covered for 100K. They may do an oil consultation test. If so, follow their directions to the letter. They will likely have an oil consumption spec somewhere. For Ford, the spec used to be about 1qt per 1000 miles. That’s very generous, but you have to have some kind of spec to decide when to go into a motor and spend the manufacturer’s money on a repair. Oil consumption is uncommon but not unusual. Some cars just use oil. The question is always is it bad enough to spend thousands to make it go away. Make sure you’re using the proper weight oil. Other things can cause oil consumption also, including PCV systems, turbos, and oil leaks. How much oil consumption is “right” or what is “warrantable” may be two different things. I spent about 20yrs as a Ford service tech. I’ve been through this a few times as the tech.

It should take exactly how many dollars the manufacturer has to pay to make it right.
That kind of oil consumption is unacceptable by any standard.
My son bought a new Dodge about 15 years or so ago and it used a quart every 1,200 miles. He fought them tooth and nail, but in the end, Dodge was off the hook for building junk.
And I 2nd (or 3rd?) Kev's suggestion about checking the oil right after a change.

This whole thing is bizzar to my thinking. What if the car dogtracked, or the paint started fading and flaking off right away, or the air worked as needed part of the time, or the transmission would skip a bit now and then?
They sold you junk and getting the word out like this is a good thing.

[Alex Zeller]

I had a 2010 Impreza that didn't burn a drop of oil. I sold it before 50k miles due to other problems so I can't say that down the road it would have developed an issue. The oil ring is actually two thin rings with a spacer between them. I don't have the shop manual but I suspect that the two gaps aren't suppose to line up with each other and they should both face upwards, say one at 2 or 3 o'clock while the other at 9 or 10. I'm wondering if the person who installed the rings did it correctly. It's odd that you didn't see the problem until after the first oil change unless Subaru uses some sort of special break in oil. I guess it could be a bad valve seal. I don't think I would accept a car that burns a quart of oil every 1000 miles. At $8 a quart that's going to add up. Plus if you keep it for a long time, say 200k miles it could start to burn up to twice that amount long after the warranty is up.